The first fossil animal traveled on land

The first vertebrate fossil that traveled on land about 355 million years ago was found in Scotland.

Scientists at Cambridge University, England, discovered fossils of animals thought to be the first four-legged vertebrate to travel on land in Scotland . They are the ancestors of modern birds, mammals and reptiles, living about 355 million years ago. The results were published in the December 5 issue of the journal Nature.

Sketches of the first animals traveling on land in Scotland.(Photo: Mark Witton).

According to Red Orbit, the team found a total of 5 fossils completely intact, with many unclassified bone fragments. Some fossils look like lizards or newts, some larger than the size of crocodiles.

"We have explored an important part of the evolution of life on land," said the BBC's Jennifer Clack.

Nick Fraser, an expert working at the Scottish Museum, said the first vertebrates that moved from the water to live on land in what is now Scotland. In addition, many similar fossils may appear elsewhere in the world but have not been discovered.

Around 360 million years ago, many life forms were destroyed after the global extinction event. 15 million years later was an important time to form a four-legged vertebrate, but the previous scientific community was missing fossil data. Therefore, we know very little about how animals like fish grow more limbs to travel on land.

"Just as Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon is the giant leap of mankind, vertebrate first steps are a big step forward for the future evolution of living animals. on land, " Fraser said.